


Over the Years (The Joys of Parenting)

by montynavarrno



Series: Over the Years [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aromantic Character, Asexual Character, Coming Out, Discussions of sex, Genderfluid Character, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Queerplatonic Relationships, no actual sex is had in this story, the hamilton family over the years, this family makes me feel things on an emotional level
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-08 05:11:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8831734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/montynavarrno/pseuds/montynavarrno
Summary: Alexander and Eliza have a large family. These are the stories of their kids.





	1. Philip

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello hello! I've decided to not study for my finals this week and write this story instead. Originally it was going to be one story, but I feel like it works better in chapters.
> 
> Each chapter is going to be about one child. There will be varying stories for each of them, because I love all the Hamilton children a lot. There will be at least seven chapters, because this is an Everybody Lives(TM) story so I haven't decided whether or not they'll have an eighth child. 
> 
> Why did I decide to write this? I primarily write lams, but Hamilton loved Eliza so much and it's time that we let Hamilton be bisexual. He can love both John and Eliza. Shocking, I know.
> 
> However, I don't want to risk writing John out of the narrative completely, so he's going to be Alexander's queerplatonic partner, which will be explained for sure in chapter five, and potentially in chapters before that. This is not a no-homo. I want that to be very clear right now. As I said, this will be explained in chapter five. 
> 
> That's all I have to say. You can read the actual story now.

When Philip Hamilton was born, Alexander Hamilton cried.

Eliza cried too, but that was probably from a combination of exhaustion from pushing a baby out of her body and happiness that she had a healthy  baby boy. 

Neither of them could believe that they now had a child. They had had nine months to get prepared, and yet in the moment they were both completely overwhelmed. But however overwhelmed they might be, nothing could compare their happiness.

Alexander talked to Philip all the time, even though Philip had no way of understanding what he was saying or anyway of responding besides the occasional burble, which Alexander insisted was Philip understanding everything he was saying. Eliza would sigh and shake her head, but she couldn't keep the smile off of her lips. Watching her husband interact with their son was adorable. 

* * *

 

"Mommy, why do daddy and Uncle John cuddle on the couch like that?" Eliza turned from her scrapbook at the kitchen table to look at where eight-year-old Philip was pointing. John Laurens and Alexander were curled up on the couch watching what sounded like Jeopardy on the TV. Alexander's knees were curled up to his chest, and his head was resting on John's shoulder. John, in turn, had his arm around Alexander and his head resting on Alexander. It was a position Eliza had seen them in many times. But she wasn't counting on having to explain it to Philip right then.

"Well, Philip, they cuddle because they're very good friends." That was a good enough explanation, right?

"But you cuddle daddy like that too." Damn those perceptive Hamilton genes. "Are they in love? Are you jealous?"

"No, sweetie, I'm not jealous." Not anymore, anyway. It had taken Eliza a while to understand how John and Alexander's relationship worked, and she had thought for a time that Alex cared more for John than for her. Now she understood. "John and daddy aren't in love. They just care a lot for each other, and sometimes they show it by cuddling." Eliza hoped this explanation was good enough. She didn't feel like she could properly explain how exactly John and Alexander's relationship worked.

"Oh." Philip was silent for a minute, digesting the information he had just learned. "Will I ever find someone who I care for like that?"

Elia smiled at him. "I'm sure you will."

"Well, I already have! His name is Austin Roe and I like him a lot." 

His name. That was a bit of a shocker, but not completely unexpected. After all, Alexander had been adamant from the start that he was going to raise their children with a lot of honesty, which included acknowledging his own bisexuality. And anyway, they had always known that their kids might not end up straight. After all, neither of them were. It was just that Eliza hadn't expected to deal with it when her oldest was eight years old. "Is that so?" she asked, deciding not to make a big deal out of it.

"Yeah! He gave me some candy and plays tag with me at recess!"

"He sounds like fun."

"He is!"

"Hey," said Eliza, nudging Philip. "Why don't you go tell daddy and Uncle John? I bet they'd be excited to hear your news."

At that, Philip launched himself into the living room where John and Alexander sat. He jumped straight into their laps and wedged himself in between them. "Daddy! Uncle John! Listen to me about the boy that I'm going to cuddle with like you two do someday!"

Eliza could see Alexander smiling at his son.

John ruffled Philip's hair. "Tell us all about him, bud."

* * *

Eliza and Alexander didn't hear about Philip liking boys again until he was fourteen. And this time it wasn't as cute.

They were sitting in Alexander's study. Eliza was reading over a speech for a financial report that Alex was giving in a few days. It was quiet and content in the room. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Alexander said. Philip entered, a nervous look on his face.

"What's wrong?" asked Eliza, instantly worried that something terrible had happened.

"Nothing! It's just- I- Well- Dad, you like guys and girls right? And mom is okay with it?" Philip asked in a rush.

Alexander frowned. "Yes, I like guys and girls. That's why I identify as bisexual. And your mom is okay with it, right?"

Eliza nodded. "Of course. Philip, why are you asking? We've always been open about this."

Philip sighed, and started rocking back and forth on his feet slightly. "Well, yeah, I knew that you were okay with it when it was dad. I just didn't know how you'd feel if it was me."

Alexander got up and embraced his son. "We'd be perfectly okay if it was you."

"Oh. Okay then. Surprise, I'm pansexual."

"Philip, that was no surprise. You used to talk about cute boys and girls all the time when you were little," Eliza laughed. 

"Yeah, do you remember Austin Roe and how you went on and on about how he always gave you candy?" Alexander said, a teasing grin on his face.

"Austin Roe is a loser jock and he can suck my dick," said Philip, rolling his eyes.

"And that's a great segue into our next topic! How to have safe sex," said Eliza, grinning at her son.

"Nope! Absolutely not. I got all of that from Uncle John when I was ten and also now from health class."

"Yes, but I'm sure you didn't learn how to have safe sex with people who have the same parts as you." Alexander had joined in with Eliza's game now.

"And I can find that on the Internet. I don't need this, not now, not ever." And with that, Philip turned and sprinted out of the study.

Alexander and Eliza just laughed.  

 

* * *

Alexander was reading the newspaper one evening when his phone buzzed. Hercules Mulligan was calling him.

He clicked answer and put the phone to his ear. "What's up, Herc?" he asked.

"Hey man. Did you know that your son is dating my kid?"

Alex sat up straight. "What?"

"Yeah. Georges shouted that Philip was here to pick them up, and ran out the door before we could say anything. Adrienne needed to tell them that they needed to be home by midnight since we have to go visit my parents in the morning, but before she got to the door she looked out the window and saw them kissing Philip by the car. She came right back in and told Laf and I. Do you have any idea how long this has been going on?"

"No. I had no idea Philip was doing anything besides going out with Georges and Theo Burr tonight. I didn't even know he was interested in anyone romantically, let alone Georges."

"Huh. Should we call them and get them back home?"

"No. I'll talk it over with Eliza. We'll let you know what we decide, and we'll go from there.

\-----------------------

It was 12:15 a.m. when Philip got home. His parents were waiting for him in the living room. He jumped when he saw them, but relaxed almost instantly. "What's up? Is something wrong? You're not usually up this late."

Alexander decided to cut right to the chase. "How long have you been dating Georges?"

Philip looked taken aback. "What?"

"Adrienne saw you and Georges kissing right before you left Georges' house. How long have you two been dating?" said Eliza.

Philip started laughing. "Oh man, this is too perfect."

Alexander frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the three of us had talked it over and we decided that we were going to tell our parents that we were dating tomorrow. I guess since it's after midnight it's technically tomorrow, but I was thinking tomorrow more like the afternoon. This is great!"

"Hold up. The  _three_ of you?" said Eliza, who was also frowning now.

"Uh, yeah. Me, Georges, and Theo. Surprise, I'm very polyamorous."

"Okay, now see, that's more of a surprise than you liking more than one gender," said Eliza. 

"You're dating a Burr?" asked Alexander incredulously. 

"One, I am dating a Burr and a Lafayette-Mulligan. Two, don't even pretend like you're upset. You love Theo, she comes over all the time."

Alexander grinned. "You're right, and I'm very happy for you. I just have one question. How long have the three of you been dating?"

"About a month. Georges was having some issues figuring out where exactly their attraction to Theo was on the platonic-romantic scale. They're sure now that it's romantic. It's awesome."

Eliza smiled at her oldest son. "I'm so glad you're happy, Philip."

"Me too," added Alexander. 

"Thanks. I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" chorused Eliza and Alexander together. They were overwhelmed with joy and happiness that Philip had found people he loved. 


	2. Angelica

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angelica Hamilton: Second Child, First Daughter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, a person with anxiety: how does anxiety work
> 
> That's a segue into a WARNING: This chapter does deal with some anxiety. There's some frank discussions of panic attacks, but no actual panic attacks. Stay safe, my people.

Just like he did with Philip, Alexander Hamilton cried when his daughter Angelica was born.

Eliza didn't cry as much, mostly because she was very drugged up at the time, having chosen to get a C-section since Angelica was breech. After the complications that had happened with Adrienne and Georges Lafayette during Georges' natural breech birth, she didn't want to take the chance. So instead of crying, Eliza looked at Angelica and said quietly "She's so small. Like a peanut. Alex! Our baby is a peanut!"

This made Alexander Hamilton laugh through the happy tears he was crying. It also led to a nickname for Angelica besides Angie.

* * *

 

Angie was five when her parents first suspected she might have anxiety like her father. Her kindergarten teacher had to call her parents because she was having trouble interacting with some of the other children.

When Alexander asked her why she didn't want to play with the other kids, her answer was "What if they don't like me?"

Her parents assured her that the other kids would love her, and the next day Angie was happy to report that she had made two new friends who really liked horses.

Alexander and Eliza were very pleased with her new-found confidence.

* * *

 

"Mommy, what was your wedding like?" 

Angie was seven years old, and sitting on the couch with Eliza. There was a commercial for wedding gowns playing on the TV.

"Well, let's see. There were a lot of people there. The colors we used were blue and yellow. Your Aunt Angelica was my maid of honor, and Uncle John was your dad's best man. And Uncle Hercules was the flower boy!" 

Angie giggled. "Was that funny?"

"You bet it was. But he insisted on being the flower boy. He threw flower petals all over Lafayette. And John. And Angelica. And Peggy. And pretty much everyone except your father and I."

"What kind of cake did you have?"

"Chocolate, because that's your dad's favorite. It's my favorite too. At the reception, where we had the cake, we danced and told a lot of stories about your dad and I."

"Is that what happens at every reception?" asked Angie.

"Yeah, usually," said Eliza.

Angie frowned. "That's boring. At my wedding, we're going to have a water balloon fight! I'm going to be the captain of one team, and I'm going to win because it'll be my wedding!"

Eliza snorted. "What else is going to happen at your wedding, Angie?"

Angie held up one finger. "Hold on," she said. She ran out of the room, and returned a minute later with her father.

"Dad! You and mommy have to help me plan my wedding! We're already having a water balloon fight at the reception, so you can't use that idea." 

Alexander grinned. "Okay, first things first. Who are you marrying?" 

Angie sighed. "I can't marry anybody yet, daddy, I have to graduate college first. Everyone knows you can't get married until you graduate college." 

"You're absolutely right. My mistake," said Alexander, visibly holding in a laugh.

"Okay, how about this? Who's going to be your maid of honor? It's usually your best friend," said Eliza, who was also trying not to laugh.

"Philip! He's my maid of honor," said Angie, beaming.

"Peanut, usually the maid of honor is a girl," Eliza said.

"That's dumb. Philip is my best friend. He should be my maid of honor."

"Why don't you ask Philip if he wants to be your maid of honor?" suggested Alexander.

"Good idea!" Angie jumped up again, and this time returned with her older brother. She tugged on his hand. "Philip, will you be the maid of honor at my wedding?"

"What does the maid of honor do?" asked Philip.

"They plan bachelorette parties and help the bride get ready with makeup and hair for the wedding, and sometimes tell stories about the bride at the reception," said Eliza.

Philip looked thoughtful. "I like parties, and I can braid hair cuz Theo taught me, and I know stories about Angie, so I can be the maid of honor!"

Alexander lost it at that point, but he said, "This is going to be the greatest wedding ever."

* * *

 

Angie was fifteen when she finally had to go to a therapist for her anxiety. She had been having constant panic attacks, one of which was so bad she had to leave school, and didn't feel up to going the next day.

Fifteen was also when she learned that her father had struggled with anxiety for most of his life. 

"I didn't grow up with a lot, Peanut," Alexander sighed as he sat on the porch swing with his oldest daughter leaning against him. "And I wasn't always sure where I was going in life. That, plus some likely genetics that lead to anxiety made me struggle with feelings of not being good enough." 

"How did you get past it?" asked Angie quietly.

"Time. Time and finding people who I loved that loved me back. Like John and your mom. Especially your mom. She's a wonderful human being who loved me for me. She was always there for me. She's also the one who dragged me kicking and screaming when I was in college to go see a therapist. I resented her at first, but it really helped me."

"You had to go to a therapist?" 

"For a couple years. They helped me work out my issues and find some healthy coping methods."

"My therapist says I might need medication."

"And that's fine, Angie. Everybody finds a different method of treatment. Nobody will make fun of you for it. And if they do, kick them in the gut. That'll show them."

"Dad! I can't just kick people in the gut!"

"Sure you can!"

"Mom! Dad is telling me to kick people in the gut if they make fun of me!"

"Tell your father I'll kick him in the gut if he keeps telling you children to beat people up!"

* * *

"Mom, dad, siblings, I have an announcement. I'm a lesbian."

This is what Angie said to her family while she was sitting at the dinner table, two weeks after she turned sixteen.

"No shit, Sherlock," said Philip, rolling his eyes but still grinning at his sister, clearly proud that she was finally coming out.

"Yeah! No shit, Sherlock!" squeaked six-year-old John.

"Philip, swear jar. Now. Angie, what made you decide that this is the time to announce this?" asked Eliza, smiling at her daughter.

Angie took a deep breath. "Not only am I announcing that I'm a lesbian, I'm also announcing that I have a girlfriend. Her name is Lucy. Lucy Jefferson."

Alexander's fork clattered to the table from his hand. "What?"

"Lucy. Jefferson." She stared at her father, silently daring him to say something. 

Alexander sighed. "She better be paying for your dates. I can't wait to hear what Jefferson has to say about this."

* * *

As it turned out, Jefferson was also okay with Angie dating his daughter. Which is why, when Angie and Lucy were 22, they were married.

And yes, Philip was the maid of honor. 

Angie couldn't have asked for a better wedding. She cried, Lucy cried, Eliza and Jefferson cried. Everybody cried. 

After the vows were done, everyone went to the reception, where a massive water balloon fight was had. And Angie won.

All in all, Angelica was extremely happy with the way her life turned out. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the breech birth thing- both me and my little sibling were breech. I was born naturally and almost died because of it. This led my mom to get a C-section with my sibling when my sibling was also breech. I only vaguely know what I'm talking about. I'm never getting pregnant ever. It sounds horrific.


	3. AJ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AJ- Third Child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Gender Dysphoria

Continuing the trend he had set with Philip and Angelica, Alexander cried when his third child was born.

He cried even more when Eliza named their son Alexander Hamilton Junior.

Seeing Alexander cry that much made Eliza cry too.

And seeing their parents cry made Philip and Angie cry.

All in all, Alexander Junior, who was quickly dubbed AJ, made a lot of people cry.

 

* * *

AJ was the second-most accident prone Hamilton kid. Up until Billy was born, however, he was the most accident prone kid. 

Especially since he never backed down from a dare.

"Come on, AJ! I'll give you my candy bar if you jump off the slide!" Philip said to his little brother. Both of them were standing at the top of the tallest slide in the little park closest to their home. 

Theo Burr shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. What if your dad sees?"

Philip looked over to where his father was conversing with Theo's dad, Aaron. "Nah, he and your dad are talking. He won't see. Come on AJ, it's a dark chocolate bar! Do it!"

Five year old AJ looked at his big brother, who always followed through on his promises. And dark chocolate was his favorite...

Without thinking any further, AJ leaped into the air, flying away from the slide and towards the ground.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. AJ could feel the wind blowing his hair back as he hurled toward the ground, which was covered with wet wood chips from the rain the previous night. He could hear his brother cheering him on.

Then he hit the ground and heard his wrist crack.

The pain didn't hit him at first, but once it did, all he could do was scream at the top of his lungs. 

It alerted his dad that something was wrong. He ran over from where he talking to Burr, and immediately crouched down next to AJ.

"What happened, AJ? What's wrong?" his dad sounded panicked.

AJ couldn't do anything but hold his wrist to his chest and cry. He shrieked when his dad tried to move his wrist away.

"Okay, that's not good. Burr, can you take the kids home? Eliza's there, she can take them. I need to take AJ to the hospital, I think his wrist is broken." His dad picked him up and carried him over to where his siblings had crowded around Burr. 

Philip tugged on his dad's shirt. "Dad, I want to go with you. It's my fault he jumped off the slide, I told him to, please let me, I need to make sure he's okay, please." 

AJ's dad sighed. "Okay, you can come with me. Angie, are you going to be okay?" 

AJ looked through tear blurred eyes to see that his big sister was also crying, but she was nodding that she would be okay. 

"Okay, Philip, AJ, let's go to the car." With that, his dad turned to the car.

\-----------

"Well, it's definitely broken. He'll need a cast for about six weeks, and we'll see what happens after that." The doctor was pointing at an x-ray they had taken of AJ's wrist. AJ had thought the x-ray machine was very strange, but not too bad. 

The doctor pointed to another room. "If you go in there, the doctor can get you all set to go with a cast. Then you can get out of here."

Alexander stood up, still carrying AJ. "Okay, AJ, let's go get your cast on."

Philip had ran into the room ahead of his father and brother, and he promptly came running back out. "Dad, the doctor looks like you!" 

Alexander frowned. "Really?"

Philip nodded. "Yeah!"

"Well, let me have a look for myself." Alexander walked into the room, still holding AJ.

AJ could see what Philip meant. The doctor did look a lot like his dad.

"Ned?" Alexander said in disbelief.

"Alexander! It's been a... long time," said the doctor.

Alexander nodded. "Indeed it has. These are two of my kids, Philip and Alexander Junior. Kids, meet Ned Stevens, one of my best friends when I was growing up."

AJ looked at Ned curiously. "You're one of daddy's friends?"

Ned smiled at him. "Yes, I am."

"Why aren't you at the friends and family dinners?'

"Well, I've been out of town a lot. I actually travel around and help people in other countries when they get sick. I'm back for now, and I work here. Now, why don't we get a cast on that wrist. What color do you want?" 

"Pink!" said AJ immediately. Pink was his favorite color. 

"An excellent choice," said Ned, who moved to get the supplies. "Now, hold still, this may take a while."

\--------------

"Okay, you're all set to go! Just make sure to cover it when you shower. And, just between you and me, if it gets itchy, just stick a coat hanger in there. It works wonders," said Ned as he finished signing off the paperwork and handing it to Alexander to sign. 

"Thanks, Ned. If you're going to be in town for a while, give me a call. We'd love to have you over for dinner," said Alexander, handing the paperwork back to Ned.

"I'll be sure to. Bye Philip! Bye AJ! Don't jump off slides again!" Ned said as he waved to Philip and AJ.

AJ waved his hand with his bright pink cast on it. "I won't! Bye doctor Ned!"

"Bye!"

Alexander and his two children walked out the door to the car, Alexander holding AJ's hand as they crossed the parking lot. As soon as they got into the car, Philip dug into the pocket in front of his seat. He then handed to AJ the candy bar that he promised. "Here."

AJ beamed at his brother. "Thank you! Daddy, can I eat it now?"

His dad looked at him in the rearview mirror. "You can have half of it now and eat the other half after dinner. Mom is making macaroni and cheese, since that's your favorite."

AJ squealed. "Yay!"

* * *

 

It was his junior year of high school when AJ first realized he wasn't a guy. 

He felt more like he was partially a girl than anything. After having a couple panic attacks and doing some research, he came to the conclusion that he was probably a demigirl. He decided to grow his hair out a little and leave it at that. No need to tell anyone, besides his brother James, who he trusted with everything.

It was a couple months after he began identifying that as a demigirl that he realized sometimes he was a guy. And sometimes he was a demigirl. And sometimes he had no gender.

This was new. So was the intense gender dysphoria. He hadn't experienced anything like it before. The intense feeling that he wasn't quite in the right body, that something needed to change.

Nothing changed except his gender identity. He now realized he was genderfluid.

He began reading a lot more about gender identity and how other people experienced it. He simultaneously felt envious and sorry for the people who had always known they weren't cisgender. On one hand, at least they knew what was happening and what they could possibly do to fix it. On the other hand, it sucked to be stuck in places where they couldn't be out and proud, and sure that their family would accept them.

AJ wasn't out to anyone but James. 

Logically, he knew that he could tell his parents and they would be okay with it. Their friend Lafayette and Lafayette's kid Georges were both nonbinary (AJ didn't know exactly what either of their specific gender identities were), and Georges' mom (who also Lafayette's girlfriend, and his husband Hercules' super-close best friend) was a demigirl. 

But somehow AJ wasn't sure that his parents would be okay if it was  _him_ who wasn't cis.

Eventually, however, he got to the point where he just wanted to tell someone. He could deal with it if he was kicked out. It would be fine. 

So, he wrote a letter. He detailed every part of his gender identity, and also talked about how he didn't experience romantic attraction ever but that he still wanted a fulfilling relationship.

He told his parents everything about what they needed to know when talking about him as a person, how he was okay with being referred to as son or daughter, and that he was happy with he/him or she/her pronouns. 

And then he left it in on his mom's pillow and promptly locked himself in his room to have a breakdown.

About two hours after he had left the letter, he heard a soft knock at his door. "AJ? It's mom and dad. Can we come in?"

AJ tried to reply, but he found that his voice had failed him. Instead, he got up and unlocked the door, opening it slowly. 

At once, his mother pulled him in for a hug. She crushed him to her chest. "We don't care that you're not cisgender, AJ. We just care that you're happy."

"Can't... breathe..." said AJ, his voice muffled from him being held tightly by his mother.

She released him, and he went back into his room, inviting his parents to follow with a glance back. He sat on the bed. His mother sat beside him, and his dad pulled out his desk chair to sit on.

"We're just really glad you decided to tell us, kiddo," said his dad, nodding seriously. 

"We're willing to do whatever you need to feel comfortable, AJ. But you need to tell your siblings. I'm sure they'll all be okay with it," said his mom.

"Well, James already knows. So I'll just tell the rest of them tonight. Philip and Angie are coming over anyway," AJ reasoned.

"Theo, Georges, and Lucy will be there too," his dad warned.

"So? Let's just get it out there. I bet Georges will be happy to have someone else to talk to about nonbinary problems besides just their parents."

"Okay. Whatever you want to do," said his mom. 

And so at dinner, AJ tapped his glass to get the table to quiet down. "Guys, gals, nonbinary pals, I have an announcement to make. I'm genderfluid. You can feel free to refer to me as brother or sister, and use whatever pronouns you want. As you were."

Georges stood up and cheered. "At last! Another one to add to the bus!"

AJ looked at him, confused. "What?"

Georges grinned. "The Down With Cis bus. I'll explain later, don't you worry. It's time we had the talk."

AJ frowned. "There's a specific talk for nonbinary people?"

Georges looked at him, face deadly serious but with a twinkle in his eye. "Oh yes. It involves illegal gender magic."

Lizzie, AJ's youngest sister and sibling, pounded on the table. "I wanna do the gender magic!"

"If it's alright with AJ and your parents, I will absolutely take you to do the gender magic. It's a well-known fact that it works better when a bubbly and happy person is around."

AJ gasp, mock offended. "Are you saying I'm not bubbly and happy? Philip, control your partner!"

"AJ, you listened to nothing but My Chemical Romance for a year and a half straight," said his dad, rolling his eyes. "Those songs are depressing."

"Okay, fair point. Georges, take me and Lizzie to do the illegal gender magic!"

* * *

Years later, AJ would find herself to be one of the top lawyers in human rights cases, often arguing against transphobic laws. She couldn't have imagined anything better.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy anniversary Alexander and Eliza Hamilton!
> 
> Okay, so, I'm genderfluid and pretty much all of AJ's discovery stuff was based on my own experiences. However, I'm AFAB and I identified as a demiboy at first and I chopped off all my hair. 
> 
> Also, I did in fact write a letter like AJ did, but instead of locking myself in my room, I went over to a friend's house who I was out to. I have not told my entire family like AJ did though. Only my immediate family, meaning my parents and my sibling know. It's not entirely safe for me to be out to the rest of my family.
> 
> Also like AJ, I do not experience romantic attraction! I've left AJ's sexuality undefined for now, but I myself am bisexual.
> 
> If you'd like to talk to me about LGBT+ things or would like to send me an ask about anything in this universe, come talk to me at montynavarrno on tumblr!
> 
> If you don't want to go to tumblr, feel free to leave a comment or kudos!


	4. James

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James Alexander- Fourth Child, Rebel

Before James was even born, he was causing trouble.

While she was pregnant with him, Eliza experienced the worst morning sickness and weirdest cravings. Alexander had to go to the store often for supplies.

He still cried when James was born. It was basically tradition at that point, although Alexander didn't care about that. He was just happy to have another addition to his growing family. 

* * *

As he grew up, James continued to be the troublemaker of the family. 

When he was three, he decided he wanted to make cookies. Now, he had watched his mom make cookies dozens of times over his three years of life, and all he knew is that he needed flour.

Fortuneatley, with the flour on the counter all he need to do was push his little stool that he stood on to brush his teeth over to reach the flour...

And promptly dump it all over himself.

There was flour everywhere. It was mostly on James. He giggled to himself. The flour felt funny. And there was so much of it on the ground. James began making little piles out of the flour. It was good fun.

Suddenly there was a gasp behind him. His mom stood behind him, shock on her face. "James, what are you doing?"

He grinned, offering up handfuls of flour to his mom. "I make cookies!"

His mom picked him up, not caring that he was covered in flour and getting her covered in it as well. "I think you're just making a mess."

James giggled. "Fun!"

"I bet." His mom poked him in the stomach. "Why don't we get daddy and your uncles and show them what fun you're having."

"Daddy!" James called.

"Yes, Alexander! Come into the kitchen please."

James' dad appeared in the kitchen door. "Yes, Eli- what happened here?" he asked, looking at the flour covered kitchen.

"I make cookies!" James said, throwing one of his handfuls of flour at his dad.

His mom sighed. "How about I go wash this one off, and you and your friends clean up the kitchen? Then we'll go out and get cookies, since James here is so determined to eat cookies."

His dad nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. Hey! John, Hercules, and Lafayette! Come in here and clean up this mess of a kitchen with me! There's food in it for you if you do!"

All James heard as his mom took him towards the bathroom was his uncle John saying "This is why you stop at three kids, Alex."

* * *

 

"Why am I named James?" 

His dad looked up from where he was working on a report to look at nine year old James. "What?"

"Why am I named James? We're doing a story project in class and we have to tell the story of how we got our names."

His dad sighed. "You're named after my brother and my father."

James looked at his dad, wide-eyed. "You have a brother?"

"Yes. You know that I wasn't born in America, right? That I was born in the Caribbean?"

James nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, after my mom died my brother and I got separated. We tried to keep in touch, but eventually we drifted apart. I haven't spoken to him in years. But I had some good memories of him. That's why your mom and I decided to name you James, so that I could have even more happy memories associated with your name." His dad looked sad and wistful now.

James slid off of the chair where he was working on homework and went to go sit in his dad's lap. "Am I doing a good job with giving you happy memories?"

His dad pressed a kiss to his hair. "You're doing an excellent job."

* * *

 

"James! It's time for dinner!"

James walked into the dining room, a scowl on his face. 

"What's up, James?" his father asked, frowning.

"The economic policies in America are shitty!" James burst out.

"James! First of all, swear jar. Second of all, the economic policies in America are fine," his father said, looking at him seriously.

"Uh, no, they're not. Do you know how much debt I'm going to be in because of college? I graduate in a year! And it's all because the middle class is getting crowded out and we simultaneously demand higher education while making it unaffordable! And the costs of living are rising! And minimum wage is not a livable wage! Everyone should be paid equally!"

"I can't believe my own son is a socialist!" exclaimed his father.

"I don't think that's socialism?" said James, but Alexander was already on a rant.

"A socialist, here, in my own house, where I raise my children to the best of my abilities, and this is the thanks I get?" he ranted.

"Oh, come off it Alexander, you and I both know that you and John wrote numerous essays on equality in economics. You're the real socialist here," said James' mom, rolling her eyes fondly.

"Oh. Right. But that was ages ago!"

"You were talking to me just two days ago about how it's ridiculous that college is completely unaffordable for lower class people nowadays. You and James are literally agreeing."

"Oh my god, we are." His dad calmed down. "I'm sorry James. I don't know what came over me."

"I feel like you went against what I said just because I was a teenager."

"You're probably right."

* * *

James went on to work in economic policy. His first agenda to pass through was to make college free for everyone of a certain economic standing. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I distinctly remember my sibling saying they were going to make cookies at the age of three, which is why I felt like James could potentially pull himself together and make at least one educated guess.
> 
> I feel bad, this one is so much shorter. I didn't want to make James a complete dick like he was historically (he opposed the bank his father created and also was secretary of state for Andrew Jackson), hence the smaller fountain of ideas.


	5. John Church

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John Church- Fifth Child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is a discussion about sex in here. No sex is actually had.
> 
> I accidentally closed out of my writing before I got to save this. That makes three times that I've cried over this chapter. Please enjoy it.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Alexander?"

"No, I'm serious, John. Eliza is pregnant again."

"That's five kids, Alex."

"Well, Eliza and I just kind of decided that we wanted a big family."

"That's fair. All kidding aside though, congratulations. And if you ever need a babysitter, just give me a call."

"Thanks, man." Alexander embraced his closest friend. "Oh, hey, John?"

"Yeah?"

"If this new kid is a boy, Eliza and I have decided to name him after you."

Alexander Hamilton wasn't the only person who cried when John Church Hamilton was born. John Laurens cried too.

* * *

 

When he was six, JC (as he was called by his family since there were so many other Johns in the family) was very confused by his dad and uncle John's relationship.

He decided that the best course of action would be to ask his big brother, Philip. He waited until it was just him and Philip, with his mom out with the rest of their siblings shopping. Their dad and uncle John were working on some protest that uncle John was organizing.

JC dragged his attention from the movie he was watching with Philip to tug on Philip's sleeve. "Philip, are daddy and uncle John dating?"

Philip looked away from the TV and looked at JC instead. "What?"

"Are daddy and uncle John dating?"

Philip sighed. "No, they're not. Well, they sort of are. But they're not in love."

JC frowned. "I don't get it."

Philip huffed out a small laugh. "I didn't either when I first asked. But they explained it to me eventually. Come on, let's go talk to them. I'm sure they'll be happy to talk to you."

With that, they walked into the kitchen, where instead of working on the protest like they should have been doing, their dad and uncle John were watching funny cat videos on YouTube and giggling quietly. 

"Aren't you two supposed to be working?" Philip asked, a smirk on his face. 

"I'll have you know we got two paragraphs written out of what our purpose is," their dad said.

"Isn't supposed to be like three pages long?" Philip asked.

"That is irrelevant. But it doesn't matter. What do you need?" 

Philip gestured to JC. "JC has a question for you and John."

"Yeah? What's up, buddy?"

"Are you dating uncle John?"

His dad looked over at John. "No, not exactly. But we aren't just friends either."

"Hey, come sit with me, I'll explain it." JC scrambled into John's lap, quickly settling into a comfortable position. "Are you comfortable?" asked John.

JC nodded.

"Okay. So, back in college your dad and I did everything together. Eventually, we started dating. We thought we were in love, but eventually we both realized that weren't in love with each other romantically. It was really confusing, because we liked each other as more than friends but we weren't in love. Then your uncle Hercules told about something called a queerplatonic partnership. It's like dating, but you don't actually date the person. You're just really really really good friends. Do you understand?" 

JC nodded. "I think so. So you and daddy aren't in love?"

John laughed. "No, we're not in love, but we do love each other."

"What is it called again?"

"Our relationship? It's called a queerplatonic partnership," John said.

"So, you're partners? Like Woody and Buzz Lightyear?" JC asked.

"Yes, exactly like that." John nodded.

"Do you have any other questions, JC?" his dad asked.

"Can I have a juice box?" 

"You can have two juice boxes," his dad said.

"Alexander! What would Eliza say?" John said, smiling at his dad. 

"She's not going to say anything because we're not going to tell her, right guys?" His dad said, looking at the three other people in the kitchen.

"Yeah! Come on Philip, we have to go see if Princess Buttercup gets saved!" With that, JC ran back to the living room.

"Are you seriously watching The Princess Bride again? Don't you have it memorized by now?" John asked Philip.

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for a happy ending. And JC likes it too, so I have an excuse."

* * *

 

By the age of sixteen, JC had proven himself to be almost as good of an author as his dad. He was placed in senior level writing courses as a freshman. In one particular class, he had to write about a social issue and propose some solutions to this issue. He was given the topic of LGBT+ rights. 

It was a pretty good topic for him. After all, he grew up in a family with very diverse sexualities. His dad in particular was a great source for areas of discrimination against LGBT+ people. 

The gender thing was throwing him off a little, but fortunately he had a really good resource. His sibling, AJ, was genderfluid. He went to go find them. 

"Hey, AJ? Can I talk to you?" he asked, knocking on his sibling's door. 

AJ opened the door. "Yeah, sure. What about?"

"Wait, can I know your pronouns first? I haven't seen you all day to ask."

"Yeah, you can use he/him or they/them. I don't have a particular preference, just not she/her today."

"Okay, cool, thanks. Anyway, I was actually wondering if I could talk to you about some issues that you face with being nonbinary? I'm writing a paper about LGBT+ issues, and while I have a lot for the sexuality side, I don't have a whole lot on the gender side. Can you help me?" 

AJ looked at him thoughtfully. "Actually, I'm going to a group tonight for trans and nonbinary people. It's all ages admitted, and allies can come too. You can come with me and ask some people there to get more diverse answers and different perspectives."

"That sounds great! What time are we leaving?"

"We'll leave at 7:30 this evening."

\------------------

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the group! My name is Diane. My pronouns are she/her/hers, and I am a transwoman. I see some new faces in here, so let's go around and introduce ourselves. Please say your name, gender, sexuality, and favorite color. I'll go first. As I said before, my name is Diane,  I am a transwoman, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am bisexual, and my favorite color is red."

The person sitting next to Diane introduced themselves, and so it continued around until it got to AJ. He stood up. "Hi, my name is AJ. I'm genderfluid, and today my pronouns are he/him and they/them. I don't actually know what my sexuality is, but I am aromantic. My favorite color is pink. This is my brother, I'll let him introduce himself, but he was wondering if he could ask some of you some questions for a report he's doing. If you're willing and able to stick around, that'd be great."

Diane nodded. "I'm sure some of us will stick around. If everybody is okay with it, I think it might also be a good idea for him to record some notes during this group so that he doesn't have to remember all of it."

One person, who was named Robert, JC was pretty sure, said "I'm not comfortable with him recording things about me."

JC spoke up. "I can make sure to not write anything about you. I'll also let you check over the notes so that you can be assured that I didn't write anything about you."

Robert smiled at him. "That'd be great, thanks."

"Go ahead and introduce yourself, kid," Diane said.

"Oh! Right! Hi, my name is JC. I'm a boy, and my pronouns are he/him. I'm asexual, but I'm pretty sure I'm romantically attracted to guys. My favorite color is blood orange."

"Blood orange, you're so pretentious. Shut up, it's fucking red," said the person sitting next to him.

"Please remember that we don't curse here, Maxwell. There are younger children here," Diane admonished. 

"Right. Sorry, I just wanted to meme. Anyway, my name is Maxwell. I'm a trans guy, and my pronouns are he/him. I'm gayer than gay, and my favorite color is non-pretentious red." 

JC laughed. He liked Maxwell. He seemed like a cool guy. 

Soon all the introductions were done. Then Diane started the discussion. "Is there anything fun or exciting that anyone would like to talk about?"

There was a moment of silence where everyone looked at each other before Maxwell raised his hand. "My parents are looking into top surgery for me, and today my sister had her final appointment before she gets to go on hormones."

Diane beamed at Maxwell. "That's great! How do you feel about the possibility of top surgery?"

"I'm pretty excited, actually. And a little nervous. But mostly excited because a lot of my dysphoria is centered around my chest, so getting top surgery would really reduce my dysphoria." 

Another guy raised his hand. 

"Toby, did you have a question or a story?" asked Diane.

"Both, actually. My story is that I came out to my dad and he was really accepting of me. I think he was a little confused, but he said he was willing to learn whatever he needed. I was also wondering whether or not Maxwell was on hormones, because I was looking into starting them and I wanted to here some stories from people who were on T."

Maxwell shook his head. "No, I'm not on T. I never really felt like I needed it to feel like a guy."

"That's a great lead-in into our next topic!" said Diane. "The state legislature in New York wants has proposed a law that would require health care providers to offer hormones for all trans and nonbinary people. What do you all think?'

JC pulled out his paper and pencil to take notes. This would be good.

One girl raised her hand. "Would they be requiring the health care providers to force us to take hormones?"

"No, they are not."

"Thank god," Maxwell said. "That'd be dumb if they did."

AJ looked at Maxwell curiously. "I completely agree with you that we shouldn't be forcing people to take hormones. But, if you don't mind, why don't you want to go on T?"

"Well, I never felt like I needed to be on it. Plus, going on T can reduce your chances of getting pregnant, and I've always wanted to have kids of my own." 

"Wouldn't that trigger your dysphoria?" asked someone else.

"I don't feel like it would. I plan to be an author, so I could work from home and nobody but my spouse would have to see me," said Maxwell.

"I think that it's important that we remember that some transgender people want to have kids," said JC. "One of the girls in the class I'm writing my report for thinks that all transgender people want to completely transition."

Robert from earlier snorted. "Cis people will never cease to amaze me." 

The discussion continued on. JC took notes on people's reactions to coming out, health care providers, the use of more gender-neutral language in everyday life, and all kinds of surgeries. 

Afterwards, some of the people stayed after to talk to JC. Robert checked over his notes to make sure that JC hadn't mentioned him. "It's not that I don't trust you," said Robert apologetically. "I just have really bad anxiety and it's not entirely safe for me to be out where I live. I don't want to run the risk." 

JC nodded. "I understand. Have a good night!"

He talked to several people, recording their answers. Eventually, only Maxwell remained in the room besides AJ and JC. 

JC started to ask him the questions that he had been asking everybody else, but Maxwell held up a hand to stop him. "Listen, I know you've got a whole bunch of responses to your questions, and I'm happy to answer those too, but I think you've missed something incredibly important when it comes to being trans."

"You're right, I probably have. What did I miss?" JC asked.

"Resources. You've missed resources. Especially when it comes to female-to-male and male-to-female. I'm AFAB and there's a ton of resources for me. My sister is DMAB and it's a lot harder for her to find things that help her out, like how to tuck safely. I think that's a pretty significant issue, and while I understand that you're cis and you don't have to think about it, I'm also slightly offended that you didn't. That's probably illogical. I'm sorry, I just get really passionate about these things. It's not your fault you're cis and ignorant."

"Honestly? I don't know how to react to that, except to say I'm sorry and please educate me," said JC.

Maxwell glanced down at his phone. "I'd love to, but my mom is here. Give me your phone, I'll give you my number so I can rant at you. Do you prefer call or text?" 

JC blinked. "Uh, either." 

"What the fuck? Who's like that? Everyone always says text. Nobody likes phone calls."

"JC does," said AJ.

"Your brother is fucking weird. But that's okay. Here's your phone!" Maxwell handed JC's phone back to him, and then walked out the door. "You should come back again! Become an even better ally!" he said over his shoulder as he walked out.

JC stared after him. 

"You okay?" asked AJ.

"I think I'm in love," said JC, dazed.

AJ smiled.

JC and AJ gathered their stuff and walked to the car. After JC buckled his seatbelt, he got out out his phone and texted Maxwell.

_So, tell me about these resources and what we can do to make them more visible._

* * *

 

A year and a half later, JC and Maxwell were dating. And things were going really well.

There were some bumps in the road.

Like one day how Maxwell had shown up at JC's house in tears.

"They have to delay my surgery. A pipe burst and our place got flooded and I know my parents didn't want to take it out of my surgery fund but they had no other choice and now I have to wait even longer than I already have."

JC grabbed Maxwell and pulled him into a hug. "It'll be okay. You can make it through this. I know you can."

Maxwell buried his face in JC's shoulder. "Can we go up to your room and sit on your bed and you listen to me complain about how much this sucks?"

"Yeah, absolutely."

"Great. I'm going to start complaining now, because I feel like it. Okay, so it all started when I hit puberty and developed these sacks of fat on my chest. I just kind of noticed that they were there and I was like 'Put those things back where they came from or so help me...'"

\---------------

About an hour later, Maxwell and JC went into the kitchen to get some snacks. JC's mom and his uncle Lafayette were in there already.

"Ah, you must be Maxwell. JC's told me a lot about you," said Lafayette, extending their hand to Maxwell.

Maxwell shook it. "Oh really? All good things, I hope."

Lafayette laughed. "It's definitely all good things."

"Aw, babe, sounds like you have a crush on me! That's so embarrassing," said Maxwell teasingly.

"We're literally dating."

"Still."

"I didn't know you were here, Maxwell," said Eliza.

"Yeah, it was kind of unexpected. I got some not so great news today," Maxwell said, his smile slipping away.

"I'm sorry. What was the news, if you don't mind me asking?" said Eliza.

Maxwell glanced at Lafayette and then at JC. JC squeezed his hand. "It's fine. You're safe."

"Okay. I, uh, found out that my top surgery has been delayed because our house got flooded from a busted water pipe. My parents had to use money from my surgery fund to pay for it. They had no other choice."

"Oh no, Maxwell I'm so sorry! Is there anything we can do?" Eliza said.

"Not unless you can spare a thousand dollars to get my fund back to where we were."

"I can do that," Lafayette said. They had been very quiet up until this moment. 

"What?"

"I can give you the thousand dollars. Or better yet, I can pay for it."

"I couldn't ask you to do that, I just met you!" Maxwell said, stunned.

"You wouldn't be asking me. I am very rich and have money to spare. I myself am nonbinary, as are my girlfriend and child. I don't want others to struggle to be happy with themselves just because they can't afford something. I would have to double check with my husband, but I am sure I can do this for you."

Maxwell mouthed wordlessly at Lafayette. "I don't know what to say."

Lafayette laughed. "Call your parents. Tell them I would like to meet them and I will transfer the money to them once we have reached an agreement."

Maxwell pulled out his phone with shaking hands.

\------------

Three months later, Maxwell was fully healed from his surgery. 

"You seem a lot more chipper than before," commented JC.

"Yeah, well, I'm completely healed and my dysphoria is practically nonexistent. I'm really happy for once," said Maxwell. He kissed JC. "And it's all thanks to your incredibly thoughtful uncle."

"He's great," agreed JC, and this time it was him who kissed Maxwell.

They kissed for a while more before stopping and just laid next to each other, holding hands.

"Hey, JC?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, now that I've gotten my top surgery and I'm really comfortable with my body, I was, uh, was wondering if maybe you ever thought about sex?"

JC turned over to look at his boyfriend. "I've thought about it from time to time, yeah."

"Oh. I wasn't sure because, you know, you're asexual."

"Ah, you fell into the belief that all asexuals don't want to have sex."

"Kind of, yeah."

JC hummed to himself for a second. "It's not that I don't want to have sex. It's more that it doesn't ever occur to me? I also don't know if I like it, because I've never had sex."

"Have you ever, you know, touched yourself?"

"Can't we just say masturbate?"

Maxwell wrinkled his nose. "That sounds so clinical."

"Whatever. Yeah, a couple times. Didn't do much for me. Don't know if that would change if I had a partner."

Maxwell was silent for a few seconds. "I'd be willing to be your partner and see if that changes anything."

JC snorted. "I figured you would, since you're the one who brought this up."

"I just had to put it out there!"

"I know, I know. So, what do you think about sex?"

"Well, I have also never had sex. And I definitely think about it. But it's always been kind of weird, because up until now I've kind of hated my body, and now I'm like 'Hey, I actually feel pretty good about myself' and I think that's changed my perspective of sex. I'm certainly ready to try sex."

"'Try sex.' It's not a piece of clothing. How do you try sex?"

"First of all, JC, clearly sex is not a piece of clothing. Sex usually involves no clothing. Second of all, you try sex by having sex, and you either stop before you get to the actual sex because it's not working for either one or both of the parties involved, or you go all the way and then go from there."

"Ah, I understand now. So are you telling me that you'd like to try sex?"

"Not right now. I know when I first met you I said I wanted kids, but I'm not trying to start that now."

"That's good, because I am sure as hell not asking any of my siblings for a condom." 

"Aw, JC, are you embarrassed to get condoms?"

"No, Maxwell, I am not. I could waltz into a store right now and pick up a box that had ten thousand condoms in it and not be at all embarrassed. It's more that I don't want my siblings knowing that I'm having sex. Especially Philip. He'd try to give me tips and I do not need to know about my brother's sex life."

"Philip doesn't even live here."

"He would find out. Trust me."

"I believe you. So, we're agreed? At some point we'll try out sex? See if it works for us?" Maxwell asked.

JC grinned and kissed his boyfriend. "Yeah, we'll try out sex."

* * *

 

As it turned out, in the future they both found out they rather enjoyed sex, which incidentally led to 10 children. Philip couldn't believe that the one person who wasn't sexually attracted to people had the most kids. "Hey, what can I say? I like to go the exact opposite of stereotypes," said JC when Philip expressed his disbelief.

JC's dad was a bit upset. "I can't believe I have more grandchildren from one kid than I have kids in total."

Eliza shushed him. "You just can't stand losing, dear."

Alexander didn't really mind. He was just glad his son was happy and had a wonderful and loving family.

* * *

"Introducing John and Maxwell Hamilton, authors of 'Wanderer!'"

The crowd was cheering loudly. JC and Maxwell sat down in their seats and waved at their fans. 

"Now, Mister and Mister Hamilton, I've collected some questions from the audience about your book. Are you ready to answer them?" asked Mary Wollstonecraft, the TV personality who was interviewing them. JC and Maxwell had only agreed to do her show because they knew she wouldn't make a big deal out of the content of their book.

"Yes, we are," said JC.

"Wonderful. Our first question is from Martha, who wants to know why you included such a wide range of racially diverse characters, as well as many different sexualities and genders."

"That's an excellent question, and a very easy one to answer. We did this because the world is diverse, and in a book where the main characters wander all over the earth, it only makes sense that the cast is diverse," said Maxwell.

"A very good point. Our next question is anonymous, and they would like to know how you did your research for all of the characters' sexualities and genders."

"Another excellent question. My family is very diverse when it comes to sexuality and gender. As you may know, my father, Alexander Hamilton, former Secretary of the Treasury, is openly bisexual and he and my mother made sure we knew that from the time we were born. They wanted to raise us with open minds," said JC.

"Yes, and I'm transgender. I actually met JC at a group for transgender people. He was there with his sibling doing research on issues that the trans community faces, because he wanted to help and be a better ally. That being said, we felt it was important to have cis, trans, and nonbinary characters in our book because for one thing, we both know people who have these gender identities, and two, since it takes place all over the world, it was important to include culturally relevant genders that exist outside of our Western binary," Maxwell said.

Mary Wollstonecraft nodded seriously. "I'm glad to see you did your research. Next we have another anonymous question, which asks how you came up with the story."

JC started laughing. "That's a great story. Maxwell, would you like to tell it?"

Maxwell pushed him playfully. "You know I don't remember it."

JC grinned, still laughing. "Maxwell is the one who originally came up with the story. After his top surgery, he was pretty out of it on painkillers. He started asking me if Barry was coming back soon. I had no idea who Barry was. Maxwell then proceeded to tell me, for half an hour, about how Barry was part of a group of wanderers who explored the world by running really fast. He also told me that Barry had been captured by Lord Sparkle, and that the wanderers were in danger because of Lord Sparkle's Death Ray of Death(TM). He actually said the TM, by the way. Eventually, he came out of his painkiller induced haze. Fortunately for him, I had written down a lot of what he said. Besides the somewhat extremely terrible names for the villain and weapon, it was a pretty good story. I actually started telling it to my little sister as a bedtime story, and eventually my brother James convinced us we should write it into an actual book. So we did, and here we are now." 

Maxwell groaned dramatically. "Did you really have to tell them that I said the TM?"

The audience laughed. 

"Yes, obviously I did."

Wollstonecraft asked them a few more questions. It went very well, and at the end they stayed after and signed copies of book that people brought them.

After they were done, they went back home, where they were bombarded by their three children. It was a good life. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell that this was the chapter I planned out the most.
> 
> Fun fact, Maxwell is the modern version of historical JCH's wife. But I wanted it to be gay and also to have more trans representation, so Maxwell happened instead. 
> 
> Sorry this is so long, I don't even know what happened. Leave a comment or a kudos if you wish to!


	6. William (Billy) Stephen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy- Sixth Child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are my excuses for not updating for nearly a month:
> 
> I planned to do the chapter one way, then decided to do it another way, and then went back to the original idea.
> 
> I lost all progress I had done on this chapter at one point.
> 
> I had really bad writer's block.
> 
> Now, onto the chapter!

"Dude, I bet you ten bucks he's not going to cry at this one."

"Herc, he's cried at all of the other births. And there's been five of them. He has a track record."

"Yeah, but John, this is his sixth. Surely he's over the miracle of child birth by now."

"He probably isn't. So I'll take you on that bet."

After William Stephen Hamilton was born, John Laurens became ten dollars richer. And then a dollar poorer, because he had to buy Alexander a pack of tissues since he cried so much.

* * *

When he was four, Billy decided he wanted to look for dinosaur bones.

Unfortunately, being four, the only access he had to ground in which to dig for dinosaur bones was his backyard. 

So, one day as his mother was helping his sister Angie with some homework, he snuck outside with his trusty plastic shovel to start looking for dinosaurs.

An hour later, Eliza, after she was finally finished helping her school-age children with homework, went up to Billy's room, expecting to find him playing with his little plastic dinosaurs as he had been when she had last seen him.

Billy was not in his room, and Eliza hadn't seen him anywhere else in the house as she had gone to his room.

This prompted Eliza to freak out and start yelling Billy's name, as one should when a small child goes missing.

Billy didn't answer her, but James did. 

"Uh, mom?" James called. "I found Billy. I think you should come and see what he's done."

Eliza raced down the stairs to see James looking out the back door. She came up behind him, and gazed upon what her four-year-old had done. There was an enormous pit in the middle of the backyard. A dirt-covered Billy was sitting in the middle of it, continuing to widen the hole. He looked up from what he was doing and noticed his mom and brother looking at him. He grinned and climbed out of the hole and raced towards the door as fast as his legs could carry him. "Mommy! Mommy! I'm lookin' for dinosaur bones!"

Eliza sighed, but couldn't help smiling. "Yeah? Did you find any?"

Billy shook his head. "No. I found a cool rock though! Look!" he dug into his pockets and produced a gray rock that looked like a misshapen star. He handed it to Eliza. "This is for you and daddy!" 

Eliza smiled. "Thank you sweetie. Now, why don't you go ask Philip to help you start a bath so you can get clean?"

Billy frowned. "But I'm not done looking yet!"

"I don't think you're going to find anything, Billy," said Eliza.

Billy's eyes watered. "Why not?" he asked, lip trembling. 

"Well," Eliza said, thinking quickly. "Before you buy a house people come through to look for dinosaur bones so they can make full skeletons and give them back to the owner for safe-keeping. When your dad and I bought this house they didn't find anything, so you probably won't either."

Billy sniffled a little. "But I wanna find dinosaurs!"

Eliza ruffled his hair. "Why don't you go to take a bath, and when you're done and your dad is home we can discuss going to the museum and looking at dinosaurs this weekend?"

"Oh boy! Can I get more rocks at the museum? Please mom? Please?" Billy was beaming.

"You can get as five new rocks," Eliza said, smiling back. "Now, go get in the bath. You're filthy."

"Okay!" Billy raced off, screaming at the top of his lungs. "Philip! You have to help me get in the bath so we can go to the museum this weekend! I can get five new rocks!"

* * *

Eliza and Alexander Hamilton were nerds. They liked watching TV shows like Star Trek with their whole family. Currently, however, they were watching The X-Files. They were watching the episode about the flukeman, who lived in the sewers and killed people by biting them and injecting them with parasites.

Billy was a pretty big fan of The X-Files. Being ten years old, he was right on the edge of being not scared of many of the villains and being outright terrified of them. When he watched the flukeman episode, he wasn't that scared of it. Sure, the monster looked creepy, but it wasn't too bad. He went to bed that night without any trouble.

When he woke up to go to the bathroom at one in the morning however, he realized that he was actually very afraid of the flukeman. 

He had just walked into the bathroom when suddenly he thought to himself,  _What if the flukeman comes up out of the toilet and gets me?_

Billy shook his head and steeled himself to walk to the toilet. He couldn't get any further than that though. Sighing, he walked out of the bathroom and towards his dad's office. He could see that the light was on, which meant his dad was still up.

He knocked on the door. "Dad?"

There was a moment of silence and then the door opened. "What's up, Billy?" his dad asked. 

"Well- can you- I can't-" Billy stuttered. He took a breath and asked in a rush, "Can you stand outside the door while I go to the bathroom in case the flukeman comes out of the toilet and tries to get me?"

His dad looked at him for a second, and then said, "Yeah, sure. Let's go."

So, with his dad standing guard outside the door, ready to leap in at a moment's notice, Billy finally managed to go to the bathroom. The flukeman did not come out of the toilet to get him, and Billy was thankful for that. After he washed his hands, he opened the door and hugged his dad. "Thank you for protecting me," he said, voice slightly muffled from his face being squashed into his dad's stomach.

"It's no bother. I made your mom stand guard outside of the door after I watched that episode too," said his dad.

Billy looked up at his dad. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. You can ask your mom about it. I'm sure she'd tell you how ridiculous I was back in those days."

\---------------------------------

The next morning, as the family was sitting down for breakfast, Billy asked, "Hey mom? Did dad really make you stand outside of the bathroom door to guard against the flukeman for him?"

His mom laughed. "Yes, yes he did. For a week straight."

The kids at the table all laughed. His dad frowned at Billy. "You know, when I said ask your mother, I didn't mean expose my fear of the flukeman to the rest of the family!"

Billy just kept laughing. His dad was a ridiculous man.

* * *

 

"I just don't understand why I failed this test!" 

Billy looked up from his iPad to look at his oldest brother. Philip, who was extremely smart in nearly all academic areas, had been struggling a lot with his Earth Science class. 

"Well, what material did the test cover?" asked their mom.

"It was all about rocks and minerals. I studied my ass off for this test. You can ask Theo and Georges! I sat down so much to study that my usually perky ass became flat!"

"Sweetie, you do realize that when your dad or I ask them about you we don't ask you about the state of your ass, right?"

"It's mostly because they're afraid for the state of your ass," chimed in Billy.

"Shut up Billy, you're like five. Anyway, I looked over all my notes and committed everything to memory. Like, I know that sedimentary rocks are often times oddly put together, and igneous rocks undergo pressure to become new rocks-"

"That's metamorphic."

"What?" asked Philip, cutting himself off in the middle of a rant.

"That's metamorphic rocks. They start off as igneous or sedimentary rocks, and pressure forces them into new rocks. That's why a lot of metamorphic rocks have lines and stuff on them, because the minerals get rearranged. Igneous rocks are the ones that form in volcanoes."

Philip sat down. "Shit. That's why I failed that test."

Billy laughed. "Yeah, probably."

Philip got up from the chair that he was sitting in. "So, my professor is letting me do a retake of this test. Why don't you help me study for it? We have a student who's dyslexic like you, so the review is online so you can transfer it to your reading app so you can read it easier."

Billy thought about it. "I'll do it, but you'll have to let me go off on at least one tangent."

Philip nodded seriously. "I can do that."

Their mom got up. "I'll leave you two to it then. Good luck!"

Billy snorted. "Philip won't need luck. He has me."

Philip ruffled Billy's hair. "You're damn right I do."

Billy, who was very interested in rocks, made sure Philip knew everything he needed to pass the test and more. Philip was very grateful for the fact that he had a nerdy little brother who loved geology.

* * *

Billy went on to become a world-famous geologist. Philip always made sure to tell people that he learned all about geology from the most famous geologist in the world.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @billy i'm sorry your chapter was so short i love you sorry that the picture that everyone thinks is the first philip is actually you you deserve better.
> 
> fun fact, I actually know more about historical billy than i do any of the other hamilton children. 
> 
> also, seriously, if you google a picture of philip hamilton that's actually a picture of wiliam stephen.
> 
> leave a comment or a kudos if you want, or come talk to me on tumblr @montynavarrno!


	7. Elizabeth Holly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza- Seventh Child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you get two chapters today because i am going back to college tomorrow and also i didn't update for a month so like i owe you guys
> 
> also, this is the last chapter. I was debating for a long time on whether or not I wanted to do an eighth child since this is an everybody lives universe, and ultimately i decided that since a lot of this stuff was based on my research of the hamilton family, i feel i can't accurately represent an eighth child as historically little phil changed a lot of the family dynamics after older philip's death.

Everybody expected Alexander to cry when his seventh child was born. What they weren't counting on was Alexander crying for an hour after his daughter Elizabeth Holly was born. John had to drive him home from the hospital because he couldn't stop crying. 

When Eliza and little Eliza came home, Alexander just held little Eliza and cried. He was very happy to have another daughter. Angie was happy that they had another daughter too. 

It was also a bittersweet time, because Eliza had found out that she shouldn't have more kids as the strain of having several children had taken a toll on her body, so this was the last kid. They weren't too sad about it, however. They had a large and loving family, and little Eliza was the perfect addition to it. 

Little Eliza was constantly being held. Alexander was particularly bad about it. 

"You have to put her down, she needs to nap!"

"She can nap in my arms, Eliza!"

"Alexander! I know that you're very excited to have a baby girl, but please, for the love of god, put her down or let someone else hold her."

"...Fine. But as soon as she wakes up from her nap, I get to hold her again!" Alexander said with an air of finality. 

Then there was a tug on his shirt. Little Billy was looking up at him. "Can I hold her when she wakes up?"

Alexander melted. "Of course you can, buddy."

Alexander was definitely a softie when it came to his kids.

He was a bit more stubborn when it came to his wife, but not by much.

"Alexander, please, she's hungry so either learn to lactate or give her to me."

"You know, I'm pretty sure he'd learn to lactate if he could just so he wouldn't have to put her down," said John, who over to help take care of the other kids while Alexander and Eliza tended to their newborn.

"You're not wrong," said Alexander, but he handed over little Eliza to her mother anyway. 

* * *

"Look at the lizards!"

Three year old Eliza was standing with her nose pressed up against the glass of the exhibit she was looking at.

"Yeah? Do you like them?" Alexander asked, smiling at his daughter.

"Yes. Tongues." Eliza pulled herself away from looking at the lizards to flick her tongue out at her dad like some of the lizards had been.

"Those are called bearded dragons," said Eliza, reading the exhibit sign. 

Little Eliza frowned. "Not dragons. Lizards."

"Dragons are just big fire breathing lizards," said Alex.

Little Eliza's eyes got wide and she looked back at the bearded dragons. "They breathe fire?"

"No, not these ones. They're too little. But the big dragons do," said Eliza.

"I wanna see the big dragons!"

"Maybe when you're older," said Alex.

"How old?"

"How about when you're ten?"

"Okay!"

* * *

 

The encounter with the bearded dragons at the zoo had sparked what was probably going to be a life-long interest in lizards for little Eliza. She was so interested in lizards, in fact, that AJ and Angie nicknamed her Lizard. It was a nice way to distinguish which Eliza they were talking about. 

Beyond that, not much happened with Lizard and lizards, other than constantly reading books and articles about them and cooing over all the lizards at the pet store when they went to replace a fish or get a new hamster or pick up something for the turtles. 

But that changed on Lizard's sixth birthday. 

On this particular birthday, everyone except Philip, Theo, and Georges had shown up. Lizard was very disappointed by this. 

"When is Philip gonna be here?" she asked her mom.

"I don't know, sweetie, but I'm sure he'll be here." That seemed to satisfy Lizard, and she ran off to go join her other siblings and show off the new books she had gotten (they were, of course, all about lizards). 

Eliza made her way over to where Alexander, John, Hercules, Lafayette, and Adrienne were sitting. "So, is everything set to go?"

John nodded. "Theo picked up the cage and supplies yesterday, and Philip and Georges are getting the bearded dragons right now."

"Georges just texted me and told me they're on their way," Adrienne chimed in. 

"Excellent. She has no idea what's about to happen, does she?" asked Lafayette.

Alexander and Eliza smiled. "No, she doesn't have any idea at all," Eliza said.

About five minutes later there was a knock at the door. Lizard shot to the door and opened it. "Philip!" she squealed, enveloping her brother in a bone crushing hug. 

"Hey, Lizard, what's up?" Philip said, hugging his sister.

"It's my birthday and I got five new books and new science officer shirt! It looks like Spock's!"

"Nice!" said Philip. He waved to his parents and aunt and uncles. "Hey! We ready to go?"

Alexander nodded. "Yep!" 

Lizard frowned. "Ready for what?"

Philip grinned. "You'll see. Hey, Georges! Theo! Bring the stuff in!"

Theo appeared behind Philip, holding a very large present wrapped in shiny blue paper.

"Philip, move your butt so I can put this down! Hi, Lizard. Happy birthday!" said Theo, shoving Philip to the side so she could put the present down. 

Then Georges appeared, holding something behind their back. "Happy birthday, Lizard!"

"Okay, open up the present Theo brought first, and then Georges will give you what they have, okay?" said Philip. 

"Okay!" Lizard dashed to where Theo was sitting and ripped the wrapping paper off. It was a terrarium, and it had all the supplies she would need to have lizards of her own. She turned to her parents and oldest brother. "What?"

Philip grinned. "Go see what Georges has for you."

Lizard ran over Georges, who produced a cardboard box from behind their back. "Open it gently," they said. 

Slowly, Lizard opened the box. Staring up at her were two baby bearded dragons. "I love them," she whispered, gently picking one up. She didn't say anything else, she just stroked the baby lizard and then picked up the other one, holding both of them close to her. 

"I think she likes them," JC stage whispered.

"What are you going to name them?" asked James. 

Lizard pointed to the one that was steadily climbing up to rest on her shoulder. "That's Bones. And this one is Uhura." 

"Solid names," nodded Hercules. 

"Thank you!" Lizard said suddenly, remembering her manners. 

"We figured you liked lizards so much that you'd probably want some of your own," said Philip.

"I did. I love them. They're the best thing."

Needless to say, the lizards stayed with Lizard for the rest of the party. 

* * *

"Fuck me gently with a chainsaw!"

"Elizabeth! Swear jar!" said her dad sternly.

"You try finding out you have a report due in economics tomorrow and try not swearing! I dare you! You do that all the time and you know it!" Lizard huffed.

"Okay, fair point. Do you need some help?" asked her dad.

She deflated a little. "Yeah. What are taxes and why are they important?"

"Okay, so we pay taxes because..."

Eliza came home five hours after they had started this conversation to find her youngest child and her husband completely engrossed in trying to find a way to reinvent the American economy. This was not the first time it had happened, but it was the first time with Lizard. Eliza just quietly moved past them and let them work.

* * *

"Fifty thousand dollars?'

"Herpetology is still a very male-dominated field, it make sense that they'd give her a ton of money to come study it."

"But fifty  _thousand_ dollars?" Alexander said in disbelief.

"Yeah, college is expensive," said Lizard, not looking up from where she was reading about the scholarship North Carolina University had offered her. 

"Well yeah, but- never mind. I don't want to get into it. I'm just so proud of you," said Alexander, tearing up slightly.

"Thanks, dad," said Lizard.

"Oh God, my last baby is going off to college," Alexander said, and then promptly burst into tears. Eliza wasn't far behind him, but she cried quietly while Alexander sobbed. 

Lizard got up from her chair and went to go sit with her parents on the couch. "I'll come and visit, don't worry. And you can Skype me at any time. And besides, the rest of us come to visit all the time, you won't be alone." 

Alexander and Eliza hugged their daughter. Truly, their family was the best.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this is over?? what the fuck?? anyway leave a comment or a kudos if you liked this, or talk to me on tumblr @montynavarrno
> 
> and good news! this is going to be a series, which is going to allow me to expand on some ideas i had while writing this story and let you guys continue to read my stories in this universe if you enjoyed them!

**Author's Note:**

> Me, writing the notes at the beginning of the story before I start writing the story: I'm not going to talk about John and Alexander's relationship until chapter five.  
> Me to me: Here's a plot idea take it and run with it
> 
> Yeah, that relationship will for sure get explained in it's entirety in chapter five.
> 
> Austin Roe is a member of the Culper Ring, the spy ring that helped out the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. I know very little about him, but he was a member of the Culper Ring which automatically makes him cool. Honestly, I just needed a name. 
> 
> Also, I had to stop writing in the middle of the chapter because there's a dildo frozen in the middle of the lake on my campus, and I love you all but that is infinitely more important and hilarious so I had to go see it. 
> 
> Next chapter is Angie! Very excited for it. Will be up later today or sometime tomorrow.


End file.
